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Saturday, January 2, 2010

The State of the News Media 2009

The State of the News Media 2009 is the sixth edition of our annual report on the health and status of American journalism.

Our goals are to take stock of the revolution occurring in how Americans get information and provide a resource for citizens, journalists and researchers to make their own assessments. To do so we gather in one place as much data as possible about all the major sectors of journalism, identify trends, mark key indicators, note areas for further inquiry.

For each area we have produced original research and aggregated existing data into a narrative on the state of journalism that we hope is the most comprehensive anywhere. Statistical data also exists in an interactive format (see our index ofcharts), which allows users to customize their own graphics. The report also includesA Year in the News, a comprehensive content analysis of media performance based on more than 70,000 stories from 48 news outlets across five media sectors, as well as a special look at Hispanic and African American media and an Interactive Topline that lets users explore the data for themselves. This year’s study also includes special reports on Lessons of the Election, New Ventures online, a content analysis of Citizen Media in 46 communities. And coming soon: a Survey of Online Journalists and a look back atCampaign Coverage.

This report is the work of the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism, a nonpolitical, nonpartisan research institute. The study is funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts and was produced with the help of a number of authors and collaborators , including Rick Edmonds of the Poynter Institute and a host of industry readers.